


We All Shift Together

by Mogadorian_Wolf



Category: Darkest Powers - Kelley Armstrong
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Pack, shifting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-11
Updated: 2016-03-11
Packaged: 2018-05-26 04:09:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6223261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mogadorian_Wolf/pseuds/Mogadorian_Wolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All the shape shifters take a run through the woods. Together, as a pack.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We All Shift Together

**Author's Note:**

> I have this thing about Derek being in a basically a skinwalker pack. Yeah... I'm going to be writing more like this. Let me know what you think.

It had been Maya’s idea. Of course it had been; she was the big cat expert. Ash was just the one that went all the way with it. They’d all shifted before, and most of them had shifted with someone else as well- Derek excluded. The twins were just suggesting that for the first time, they all shift together- all the Silver Lake Shifters- run like a pack. Cats might typically be loners, but the Silver Lake shifters were a pack with a werewolf.

Ash, himself, had shifted with both Maya and Rafe before; there was also one interesting shift with Derek, but he didn’t like thinking about that one. (Maya had been right about him being too headstrong not to back down from a confrontation with a werewolf.) Most of the time, he shifted with Rafe. Rafe would hunt and stalk with him when they weren’t play-fighting.

Rafe wasn’t even sure how Ash had managed to talk him into visiting their resident werewolf before the big shift and run. Ash just managed to talk him into a lot of things they really shouldn’t do. He knocked on the werewolf’s door. Derek answered it, towering over him, “Where’s your boyfriend?”

“We’re not dating,” Rafe protested to no avail. He didn’t even know when Ash started to be referred to as his boyfriend or even why it started. Derek arched his eyebrows, and Rafe rolled his eyes, “You’re being official invited to our shift run. Take your time getting changed. We’re meeting at the lake.”

He walked off. Derek didn’t say a word after him, and he silently cheered. Ash had ditched him to get a head start. The cheat was probably preparing another ambush. Some days, it seemed like Ash preferred fighting over hunting. It’d been agreed upon earlier that each shifter would change before joining together- that had been Ash’s contribution.

 

Rafe stalked around the lake, looking for the other male cat, determined not to be ambushed again. He spotted Ash just lounging underneath a tree, far from the water. It didn’t even seem like he was expecting an attack or planning one. Rafe still pounced him. Payback for last time. Ash rolled, fighting him back and sending a thrill of excitement up Rafe’s back. Since he’d cut Maya loose to pursue her interest in Daniel, Ash had changed around him, forming a surprising bond with the other male cat. The fighting wasn’t as real anymore.

Maya chuffed, yanking the boys’ attention to her before she nudged them apart, Annie right behind her. The two girls wandered off to hang out underneath the tree after fixing the boys a firm look. Ash bumped against Rafe the moment they looked away. Rafe bared his teeth at him, but Ash just rubbed against him, making it all better.

Ash was the one that caught Derek’s scent first, lifting his nose up to the wind. Derek lumbered into sight a few moments later, looking uncertain. The girls got up and gave the new arrival a nod before taking off. Rafe started to follow, but Ash went up to Derek. He still remembered the last time he had to patch Ash up. For some stupid reason, the ass didn’t want Maya to know, even though she was better at the healing.

Derek didn’t look like he was going to attack, but Rafe still had to suppress the urge to hiss at the big black wolf; he’d hurt Ash. Ash spun, taking off with Rafe right behind him. Derek hesitated before racing after the two male cats. The girls stayed ahead of them, but Derek managed to catch up and keep pace with Rafe and Ash as the forest blurred around them. Rafe bumped Derek out of the way in favor of racing Ash. They ran neck to neck, like mates.

Still, it wasn’t long before the four cougars and wolf were running like an actual pack up to a spot that overlooked their whole town. Derek had never felt like this before, like an actual part of a pack, more importantly a pack of shape-shifters. He hadn’t known what he was missing out on. With his brothers, he’d always felt like an outside, even with other werewolves, he’d felt a similar disconnect. Reasonably, it didn’t make much sense that he’d feel the connection he’d been missing with a whole different kind of shifter, especially when he’d injured one, pissing his mate off.

At the top, they slowed down, Annie and Maya collapsing beside each other and looking at the boys expectantly. Ash had tackled Rafe instead, and Derek watched the two boys, rough house. He didn’t understand why they kept protesting their attraction for each other, anyone watching could see they couldn’t stop touching each other, whether it was nipping at each other or rubbing against each other in an appeasing purr.

Ash motioned with his head, for Derek to sit by them. Rafe barred his teeth at him; apparently he hadn’t forgiven Derek as easily. Ash rubbed against him again as Derek laid down beside them. From here, they could watch their true pack. That was when it all fell into place- why he identified more with these shifters than his own kind. He’d never cared what kind of supernatural someone was; his pack had reflected it. These shifters didn’t care about that either.

He laid his head down, watching their quite town. Ash and Rafe had started purring beside him, still leaning against each other. It was so peaceful up here; it felt like nothing could touch them, even if Derek knew better from experience. He gets thumped by Ash’s foot, and he knows the other boy’s fallen asleep. It’s odd that Ash’s the one forgiving him; he’d been so suspicious to start with. Then he’d fallen for Rafe, and he changed.

Maya got up first with Annie right behind her. Derek rose as they passed by, and Maya kicked Ash with one of her hind legs on her way by. He jolted awake, and Rafe lazily got to his feet, further throwing him off balanced. He glared at his mate, before dashing after Derek instead. Rafe snarled, trying to herd his boyfriend away from the werewolf. At this rate, Derek was never going to win the cougar over.

Ash went along with Rafe, who kept himself between him and Derek as they started their way down at a more leisurely pace. After a moment, Ash started to lag behind, putting Rafe back on edge. He glanced right behind him just as Ash tackled him into Derek. Before he knew it, all three of them were wrestling as they rolled down the hill. Derek hadn’t played like this before, but he could easily tell the other two boys had done it plenty of times before. Maybe Ash could help bridge them… despite the fact that he was part of the reason for the problem. He should try joining them more often, if Rafe let him.


End file.
